Chinese word

植物

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhí wù

Meaning

  • nounplant

Example

校园里有很多植物。xiào yuán lǐ yǒu hěn duō zhí wù

There are many plants on campus.

Illustration for 植物 (plant)

More examples

老师让我们去观察植物的生长情况。lǎo shī ràng wǒ men qù guān chá zhí wù de shēng zhǎng qíng kuàng

The teacher asked us to observe the plants' growth.

Core concept

A living thing anchored in one place, taking in water and minerals while making its own food from light.

Common phrases

  • 养植物yǎng zhí wù

    grow plants

  • 观察植物guān chá zhí wù

    observe plants

  • 植物生长zhí wù shēng zhǎng

    plants grow

Similar words

树shù: A large woody plant with a trunk and branches that can live and grow for many years.
花huā: A showy plant part valued for its beauty and often used in decoration.
草cǎo: A low-growing plant with a slender, soft stem, including lawn plants and wild plants.

Definition in Chinese

指具有光合作用的多细胞生物，通常具有根、茎、叶等器官，以固着方式生长，从土壤或基质吸收水分和无机养分维持生命。zhǐ jù yǒu guāng hé zuò yòng de duō xì bāo shēng wù tōng cháng jù yǒu gēn jīng yè děng qì guān yǐ gù zhuó fāng shì shēng zhǎng cóng tú rǎng huò jī zhì xī shōu shuǐ fèn hé wú jī yǎng fèn wéi chí shēng mìng

Word origin

植物 (zhíwù, "plant") is a transparent compound of 植 (zhí, "to plant") + 物 (wù, "thing"), linking the word to something grown in the ground.

Usage tips

  • When a plant is counted in daily Chinese, 一株 (yì zhū, "one plant") works broadly, 一盆 (yì pén, "one pot") focuses on the pot, and 一棵 (yì kē, "one tree-shaped plant") is common for trees.

Opposites

Related words

  • 植物园zhí wù yuánbotanical gardennoun

Word lists with this word